Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Puzzling Observation Made About the Rams

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams may have struggled on offense in their season opener against a tough Houston Texans defense, but there were a couple of players who had standout performances on the offensive side of the ball.

Of course, their defense was phenomenal, and Jared Verse is starting his year off amazingly, but Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua were the standout players from this game. Their connection looked special, and the Texans were at their mercy.

WR Rankings

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lauren Gray is a sports writer for Pro Football Focus, and she released an article going over her power rankings of wide receivers ahead of week two. In a puzzling twist, Davante Adams made the list, but Nacua didn't.

"Adams saw eight targets in his Rams debut, bringing in four for 51 yards, all first downs. Adams had two drops in the game, but he also hauled in two contested catches and recorded two catches of 15-plus yards over Derek Stingley Jr. Adams finished the game with a 27.6% threat rate (tied for 10th best). He earned a 90.1 single-coverage PFF receiving grade (third best), catching both of his targets for 27 yards", said Gray.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

All credit to Adams, who was matched up against a lockdown defender like Derek Stingley Jr. He came up clutch and moved the ball downfield for the Rams when they needed him to, and he isn't going to drop as many balls in the future or only catch 50% of his targets.

The Rams signed him for a reason because he brings so much to their offense and makes it infinitely harder for other teams to guard their elite wide receiver tandem. However, I just can't wrap my head around how he made this list over Nacua.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nacua led the Rams in targets and yards, and was the only player not named Stafford to go over 100 yards. He was the offense for a lot of possessions in that game, and if it wasn't for his stellar performance, the Rams would've lost that game.

It's a puzzling decision to be sure, and one that's hopefully rectified by next week's power rankings. Nacua is one of the top receivers in the NFL, and it's time that he's recognized as one.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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